The invention relates to a sliding roof for motor vehicles. In a known sliding roof of this type (German Patent No. 2502 775), a U-shaped shield is provided to cover the space between the under side of the sliding cover and the lower edge of the frame, said shield running along the lateral edges and the forward edge of the sliding cover, and being slidable together with the sliding cover. The lateral parts of this U-shaped shield cooperate with a downwardly extending projection of the headlining. Apart from the fact that the manufacture of such a U-shaped shield is relatively costly, this design does not allow easy access to the adjusting means which serve for height adjustment of the sliding cover, by which means the sliding cover is adjusted in the closed position so that it is exactly flush with the solid part of the roof.
The goal of the invention is to simplify the coverage of the gap between the under side of the sliding cover and the lower edge of the frame along the lateral edges of the roof opening, and to improve the accessibility of the adjustment means for the sliding cover.
This goal is achieved according to preferred embodiments of the invention by virtue of the fact that an upper part of the shield is mounted removably on the sliding cover and the lower part of the shield is mounted removably to the frame. Hence, the lateral shields each consist of two essentially strip-shaped components, which can be manufactured by simple means, require little space for storage and shipment, and can be installed in a simple manner after height adjustment of the sliding cover.
In order to be able to mount the lateral shields without tools, the upper shield part is bent backward along its upper edge and pushed into a space between the sliding cover and the headlining on the sliding cover. In addition, the surfaces opposite one another can be provided with serrations which cooperate with one another.
The lower shield part can be mounted on guide rails provided on the frame by means of forward and/or rear sliding shoes. The forward sliding shoe can be dispensed with if the lower shield part is rotatably connected to the upper shield part near its forward edge.
If there is no connection between the upper and lower shield parts, it is advantageous to guide the lower shield part on the upper shield part to prevent lateral displacement, which can be achieved by providing projections on the lower shield part, said projections fitting around the lower edge of the upper shield part.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.